Pancreatic pathophysiology in cystic fibrosis.

Department of Pathology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.

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Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.

Abstract

The pancreas is one of the earliest, and most commonly affected, organs in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Studying the pathogenesis of pancreatic disease is limited in CF patients, due to its early clinical onset, co-morbidities and lack of tissue samples from the early phases of disease. In recent years, several new CF animal models have been developed that have advanced our understanding of both CF exocrine and endocrine pancreatic disease. Additionally, these models have helped us to better define the influence of pancreatic lesions on CF disease progression in other organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract and lung.